The present invention relates to a coupler for oppositely disposed circuit breakers, such that when one circuit breaker is switched ON, the other is automatically switched OFF.
Circuit breaker couplers that automatically switch one circuit breaker OFF when another is switched ON are typically used in applications where different sources of power, e.g., utility power and emergency generator power, are to be alternatively connected to a load and where it is critical that both not be connected to the load simultaneously. There are many other applications, both residential and commercial, in energy management, diagnostics and smart appliances, for example, where coupled circuit breakers are considered to be advantageous.
Manually operated coupled circuit breakers so arranged that one turns ON when the other turns OFF, are known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 5,648,646 for CIRCUIT BREAKER LINKAGE ASSEMBLY, for example, discloses an interlock for tandemly aligned first and second circuit breaker switches, which respectively have first and second external operating handles oriented such that the operating handles are disposed oppositely from each other so that with one of the switches OFF, the other switch is ON. The interlock of the ""646 patent includes a linkage arrangement formed with at least one slot. The linkage has one end connected to the first operating handle and another end connected to the second operating handle such that pushing the first operating handle from an OFF to an ON position pushes the second operating handle from an ON to an OFF position.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,031,193 entitled CIRCUIT BREAKER SWITCH INTERLOCK also discloses an interlock for tandemly aligned circuit breaker switches. The interlock of the ""193 patent includes a substantially inflexible control member movably retained relative to the switches. Like the interlock of the ""646 patent, the control members are constructed and arranged such that pushing the first operating handle from an ON to an OFF position pushes the second operating handle from an ON to an OFF position. Although the drawings of the ""193 patent illustrate tandemly aligned circuit breakers, the disclosed invention contemplates an interlock for both tandemly aligned and adjacently disposed circuit breakers.
The coupled circuit breakers shown in the prior art are manually operated, requiring someone at the load panel to physically switch the circuit breakers to the desired position. For situations in which time is critical, or where the load panel is unattended, inaccessible, or otherwise unusable, the manual operation of such coupled circuit breakers constitutes a significant limitation on system capability.
Accordingly, there is a need for a coupler that can be used in combination with a circuit breaker assembly including oppositely disposed side-by-side poles to simultaneously shut down a primary power source for a circuit or load and to power that circuit from a secondary source of power. In a preferred embodiment of the invention this switching can be done remotely by incorporating a motorized circuit breaker into the circuit breaker assembly and utilizing the coupler to interconnect the primary to the secondary breakers.
It is an object of the present invention to provide oppositely disposed side-by-side, coupled circuit breakers that may be activated remotely such that when one circuit breaker switches OFF in response to a remote control signal the other automatically switches ON and vice versa.
It is a further objective to provide remotely actuated and oppositely disposed circuit breakers in a side-by-side configuration to minimize panel space, and to restrict any contact arcing egress to behind the panel thereby avoiding environmentally hazardous dielectric breakdown conditions at the front of the panel.
In accordance with the present invention, these objects are achieved in a circuit breaker assembly that includes at least two circuit breakers, of at least one pole each, arranged alongside one another but with one breaker reversed from the other breaker such that with one breaker pole OFF the other breaker pole is ON and vice versa. An interlock or coupling device connects the breaker actuator toggles in spite of the asymmetrical arrangement of the toggles characteristic of split case breakers such as described herein. A remotely operated motorized module is preferably provided in a split case breaker housing similar to the split case circuit breaker housings, and arranged alongside one or the other of these oppositely disposed circuit breakers.